Goodspeed's Jackson County, Arkansas History & Biographies (A-C)
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SOURCE: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889.
Contributed by Michael Brown.
USGenWeb Notice: http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
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Bibliography: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas.
Chicago: Goodspeed Publishers, 1890.
JACKSON COUNTY-ACT OF CREATION-SEAT OF JUSTICE LOCATED-COUNTY STRUCTURES-
OFFICIAL CATALOGUE-VOTES AND VOTERS-THE WAR OF 1861-65-THE ADMINISTRATION OF
JUSTICE-CHURCH DENOMINATIONS REPRESENTED-SCHOOL MATTERS OUTLINED-NAMES OF THE
EARLY SETTLERS-THE COUNTY LOCATED-TOPOGRAPHY-STREAMS-TIMBER-SOIL-RESOURCES-
PROPERTY VALUATION-RAILROADS-POPULATION-TOWNS AND VILLAGES-PERSONAL MEMOIRS.
The "good old times"-all times, when old, are good- Are gone; the present
might be, if they would; Great things have been, and are, and greater still
Want little of mere mortals but their will.-Byron.
Footnote
Named in honor of General Jackson.
JACKSON COUNTY was organized in accordance with an act of the legislature of
the Territory of Arkansas, approved November 5, 1829.* As then constituted it
embraced nearly all of what is now Woodruff County. The latter was cut off in
1862. By the act creating Woodruff, and other acts, the county has been
reduced to its present limits, as given in subsequent pages of its history.
In 1832 the site for the permanent seat of justice for the county was chosen
at a place called Litchfield, which was on the Jacksonport and Augusta road,
at the crossing of Village Creek, a point some two or three miles southeast
of the present town of Newport. Here the county seat remained until 1839,
when it was removed to Elizabeth, a point on the northeast side of White
River, about midway between the present sites of Jacksonport and Newport;
there it continued until 1852, when it was removed to Augusta, which is now
the county seat of Woodruff County. The next year, 1853, it was changed to
Jacksonport, and there has since remained. It is predicted that its next and
final removal will be to Newport, the largest town in the county, and the one
having the greatest transportation facilities.
page 833
A small frame court-house was erected at Elizabeth, but no county building
was constructed at either of the other places where the seat of justice was
fixed until after it was removed to its present location, and not there until
early in the 70's, when the present court-house was erected. This house was
built by Col. J. A. Schnable, the original contract being for $40,000. It is
claimed, however, that it cost twice that amount by the time final payment
was made. It is a very substantial two-story brick structure, large and
commodious, with halls and offices on the first floor, and courtroom above. A
serviceable fire-proof vault, costing, together with its burglar proof safe
and other [p.833] furniture, about $2,800, has recently been attached. Near
the court-house stands a small, frame jailer's residence and a safe and
complete stone jail with iron cells.
The county poor farm, consisting of forty acres, on which the paupers are
supported, lies five miles north of Jacksonport.
The following is a list of the names of officers of Jackson County, with the
dates of their terms of service annexed, from its organization to the present
time:
Judges: Hiram Glass, 1830-32; E. Bartley, 1832-33; J. Robinson, 1833-35; D.
C. Waters, 1835-36; John Rodby, 1836-38; D. C. Waters, 1838-40; O. M.
Stephenson, 1842-44; John Robinson, 1844-50; J. H. T. Webb, 1850-52; A. J.
Langford, 1852-54; J. C. Johnson, 1854-56; H. D. Casey, 1856-58; J. C.
Kirkpatrick, 1858-62; A. J. Langford, 1862-68; T. J. Randolph, 1868-72; J. W.
Stayton, 1874-78; J. W. Phillips, 1878-84; W. H. Jago, 1884-86; M. M.
Stuckey, present incumbent, first elected in 1886.
Clerks: J. C. Saylors, 1830-33; A. M. Carpenter, 1833-35; P. O. Flynn, 1835-
36; J. C. Saylors, 1836-40; W. J. Haggard, 1840-42; Garlen Silvey, 1842-44;
W. J. Haggard, 1844-46; A. Crow, 1846-48; A. H. Logan, 1848-52; W. R. Jones,
1852-54; D. C. Perry, 1854-56; C. W. Board, 1856-58; R. R. Kellogg, 1858-68;
William Akers, 1868-71; M. McCannany, 1871-74; F. R. Hargrave, 1874-76; H. C.
Lowe, 1876-78; R. W. Bandy, 1878-84; J. J. Walker, present incumbent, first
elected in 1884.
Sheriffs: Isaac Gray, 1830-35; James Robinson, 1835-38; Isaac Gray, 1838-42;
J. Robinson, 1842-44; J. H. T. Webb, 1844-46; J. J. Waddle, 1846-50; G.
Silvey, 1850-54; R. Hudson, 1854-56; A. H. Logan, 1856-62; J. R. Jelks, 1862-
64; L. R. Clay, 1864-66; J. R. Loftin, 1866-68; R. Kinman, 1868-72; H. N.
Faulkinbury, 1872-74; J. R. Loftin, 1874-82; T. S. Stephens, present
incumbent, first elected in 1882, and served continuously since.
Treasurers: G. W. Cromwell, 1836-40; B. Bailey, 1840-42; J. Webb, 1842-44; J.
C. Pugh, 1844-46; J. R. Frost, 1846-50; John Cowdry, 1850-52; L. R. Clay,
1852-54; A. H. Logan, 1854-56; W. F. Mason, 1856-60; P. S. Wisdom. 1860-64;
W. F. Young, 1864-68; A. J. Greenhaw, 1868-72; G. Brandenburg, 1872-74; W. S.
Shuford, 1874-78; W. H. Heard, 1878-80; W. S. Shuford, present incumbent,
elected in 1880, reelected and served continuously since.
Coroners: M. Copeland, 1830-32; Hiram Glass, 1832-35; J. Matthews, 1835-36;
Samuel Matthews, 1836-38; Sam Allen, 1838-40; R. Montgomery, 1840-42; J.
Williams, 1842-14; A. Crow, 1844-46; James Patten, 1846-48; I. Hamilton,
1848-50; L. R. Clay, 1850-52; J. G. Newbold, 1852-54; Charles McKinney, 1854-
58; C. H. Jackson, 1858-60; J. L. Quinn, 1860-62; W. J. Sweat, 1862-64; A. J.
Greenhaw, 1864-66; W. H. Watkins, 1866-68; J. J. Green, 1868-72; George
Gordon, 1872-74; R. O. Duffer, 1874-80; W. D. Shackelford, 1880-82; R. O.
Duffer, 1882-84; R. W. Wallace, 1884-86; F. Harrison, 1886-88; Thomas Nance,
present incumbent, elected in 1888.
Surveyors: John Robinson, 1832-35; Hall Roddy, 1835-38; William Scruggs,
1840-42; J. Gibson, 1842-44; H. H. Pongur, 1844-46; William Hughes, 1846-48;
Jesse Oats, 1848-50; John Towey, 1850-52; B. Ford, 1852-54; J. Mullins, 1854-
56; J. C. Mullins, 1856-58; J. M. Mullins, 1858-60; John Glass, 1860-62; J.
R. Siddell, 1862-64; Ignatius Sprigg, 1864-68; B. F. Chandler, 1868-72; C. E.
Brizzell, 1872-74; M. Hawk, 1874-76; W. P. McDonald, 1876-78; F. Simmons,
1878-88; T. W. Jamison, present incumbent, elected in 1888.
Assessors: William Brian, 1868-71; W. J. Scott, 1871-72; F. W. Lynn, 1872-74;
J. G. Bandy, 1874-76; G. C. Buford, 1876-80; J. R. West, 1880-84; J. S.
Jones, 1884-88; F. R. Dowell, present incumbent, elected in 1888.
Footnote
Never present.
Representatives in constitutional conventions: John Robinson, 1836; J. H.
Patterson, 1861; John Box, 1864; W. H. Pickett,* 1868; Franklin Doswell,
1874.
page 834
R. Tidwell was the first representative of the county in the council, and
Morgan Magness and [p.834] C. S. Manley the first representatives in the
house of the Territorial legislature. This was in 1831.
The votes cast in Jackson County for the candidates for governor and for
president at the late elections will show its political aspect. They were as
follows: At the September election, 1888, for governor, James P. Eagle
(Dem.), 1,808; C. M. Norwood (Com. Opp.), 1,200; at the November election,
1888, for president, Cleveland (Dem.), 1,555; Harrison (Rep.), 842; Streeter
(U. L.), 82; Fisk (Pro.), 5.
At the approach of the Civil War of 1861-65, the people of Jackson County
were found to be almost unanimously in favor of secession and the proposed
Southern Confederacy. The delegate elected to represent the county in the
State convention, held at Little Rock in March, 1861, was instructed to vote
for secession of the State from the Federal Union. Eleven companies of
infantry and cavalry and McCown's battery, about 1,200 men in all, were
organized within the county for the Southern army.
The companies were originally commanded, respectively, by Capts. A. C.
Pickott, Harvey Wilson, O. Percell,--Orm, J. H. Hunter, M. M. Bateman, Robert
Anthony, A. C. Hooker, J. H. Patterson and others. No Federal troops were
raised here, and no fights worthy of mention took place within the county's
boundaries. It was held alternately and over-run by the contending armies,
and much property was destroyed. A few little skirmishes took place between
scouting parties, and a few individuals were killed. The citizens suffered
considerably for the want of provisions, and shared alike with those of
adjoining counties, the hardships of "cruel war." Numerous Union soldiers
have settled here since the war, the effects of which struggle are rapidly
passing away.
The first terms of the courts held in the county were early in 1830, at the
house of Thomas Wideman, at the place now called Irwin, a flag station on the
Batesville & Brinkley Railroad, five miles south of Newport. At this point
the organization of the county was completed, and the courts continued to be
held there until the seat of justice was established at Litchfield, in 1832.
Hiram Glass was the first county court judge, and J. C. Saylors the first
clerk of the courts. Judge Thomas P. Eskridge convened the first term of the
circuit court on Monday, May 3, 1830, and finding no business he immediately
"adjourned to court in course." The next term began on the first Monday of
November following, when the first grand jury was empaneled. This jury, after
a short deliberation, reported "no business found," and were then discharged.
No such report has ever been made since. At the third term of this court the
grand jury found three indictments-the first against a man for bigamy, the
second against a man and woman for adultery, and the third against a man for
vagrancy. In the first case the defendant was "too much married," in the
second the defendants were "not enough married," and the third proves that
there were "tramps" (vagrants) then as well as now. Judge Eskridge continned
on the bench until 1835, when he was succeeded by Judge Archibald Yell, who
in 1837 was
succeeded by Judge Lewis B. Tully.
The county court of Jackson County convenes on the first Mondays, and the
probate court on the second Mondays of January, April, July and October, and
the circuit court on the fourth Mondays of April and October of each year.
The legal bar of the county consists of the following named attorneys:
William R. Jones, Franklin Doswell, Joseph M. Bell, J. W. Stayton, Joseph W.
Phillips, L. Minor, W. A. Monroe, Isaac T. Davis, M. M. Stuckey, O. W.
Scarborough, J. M. Stayton, Gustave Jones, C. F. Greenlee and F. M.
Lamberton.
The county's criminal record is comparatively small. One white man and two
negroes have been legally executed since the close of the Civil War for the
crime of murder, and two colored men have been taken from the jail and hanged
by a lawless mob. During the war period a number of murders were committed by
roving bands of soldiers and others, who took advantage of the circumstances
of the times.
Footnote
Statistics mostly from last Conference minutes.
page 835
The leading religious denominations within Jackson County are the Methodist
Episcopal, South, Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopal and Christian. [p.835] The
Methodists have three stations-Newport, A. M. Branson, pastor, with a
membership of 115; Jacksonport, W. E. Rutledge, pastor, membership about
ninety, and Auvergne, W. R. Foster, pastor, with a membership of sixty-three;
also Tuckerman circuit, E. M. Davis, pastor, and Weldon circuit, R. M.
Manley, pastor. The former of these circuits embraces two or more
appointments with an aggregate membership of sixty-three; and the latter,
three or more appointments, with an aggregate membership of 112. Sevon
Sunday-schools are reported with these church organizations.*
Of the Baptist Church organizations there are Pleasant Valley at Auvergne,
Elder J. I. Martin, pastor, with a membership of seventy-four; Oak Grove,
Elder John Ball, pastor, membership nineteen; Hickory Grove and Litchfield,
Elder F. M. Brannon, pastor, membership, respectively, eightytwo and
eighteen, and Pleasant Hill, the latter having only a small membership. All
of these belong to the White River Valley Baptist Association.
There is only one Presbyterian Church organization in the county, the one
located at Newport. It was organized January 29, 1882, by Rev. Dr. Long of
Batesville. The present pastor is Rev. Richard B. Willis, of Searcy, and the
membership is nineteen.
Of the Christian Church, there are within the county the following named
organizations: Shiloh, Surrounding Hill, Grand Lake, one at McCullough's
School-house on Departee Creek, Robinson's Chapel, Hopewell, one in Richwood
Township, one eight miles southeast of Newport, one three miles east of
Tuckerman, and Swifton; the whole having an aggregate membership of about
500. Elder Ritcherson preaches at Shiloh, Surrounding Hill and Robinson's
Chapel; Elder S. Bowman at Hopewell; Elders Townsend and Mills at and near
Swifton, and Elder J. G. Connor at a point three miles east of Tuckerman.
In addition to the foregoing there is one Episcopal Church in the county,
located at Newport. Rev. Coursan, of Little Rock, officiates as rector.
The educational facilities of Jackson County are best shown by the following
statistics, taken from the report of the State superintendent of public
instruction, for the year ending June 30, 1888: Scholastic population-white,
males 1,746, females 1,565, total 3,311; colored, males 567, females 548,
total 1,115. Number of pupils taught in the public schools-white, males
1,122, females 928, total 2,050; colored, males 407, females 382, total 789.
Number of school districts 31; number reporting enrolinent 24; number voting
local tax 20; number of teachers employed, 71; average monthly salary of
teachers-first grade, males, $50; females, $45; second grade, males, $42.50,
females $37.50; third grade-males, $35, females $30. Amount expended for the
support of the free schools-teacher's salaries, $18,015.47; treasurer's
commissions, $465.35, total $18,480.82. These statistics, if full and
correct, would show that only a little over sixty-one per cent of the white,
and a little over seventy per cent of the colored scholastic population, were
taught in the public schools; this, however, is not correct for the reason
that the number of pupils attending school in seven of the thirty-one
districts were not reported at all. The State school system is very
defective. A school law should compel full and complete statistical reports
showing all of its operations, proving itself adequate to meet the demands of
the cause of education. The wages paid teachers is sufficient to secure good
talent, and the amount of money expended for the public schools, if properly
applied under a more efficient school system, would bring about better
results. Jackson County, however, makes a far more favorable showing in
respect to her schools than many other counties within the State.
page 836
Anvergne Academy is a private enterprise, and was established in 1885 at the
progressive town of Auvergne, by the request of the leading citizens of that
place and vicinity. The Academy building, which is a large two-story frame,
was erected in 1885, by D. W. Bristol, of Beebe, under the management of Dr.
G. D. Clements and R. M. Laird. The property was purchased June 22, 1888, by
D. L. Paisley and A. L. Blake, now the principals [p.836] of the faculty of
the Academy. The town of Auvergne is high and rolling, free from mud and
malaria, and the school is strictly moral, but not sectarian. It is open to
both sexes. More extended mention of this institution is made in subsequent
pages.
The settlement of the territory now composing Jackson County began some time
prior to 1830, the date of its organization, but by whom or just when the
first settlement was made can not be definitely stated. The following named
persons who composed the first grand jury of the county were, as a matter of
course, prominent pioneers here; Nicholas Copeland, Dudley Glass, Jesse Gray,
Jacob Haggerton, Michael Haggerton, Silas T. Glass, Samuel Stokes, Joseph
Haggerton, Elijah Bartley, Holloway Stokes, John Teague, John Flannery, Jacob
Flannery, William Melton, John James, Martin Copeland, Martin Bridgeman and
Redding Stokes, Some of these, perhaps, lived in that part of the county
since cut off in the formation of Woodruff County. John Wideman, at whose
house the first courts were held, the Copelands and Newton Arnold, were the
first settlers in the neighborhood of what is now Irwin Station, on the
Batesville & Brinkley Railroad. George Hatch and a Mr. Daugherty were the
first to locate at Newport.
Alexander, George, William, Samuel and John Robinson, five brothers, and
their cousin James Robinson, all from Tennessee, together with George Crummel
and several others, with their families, located in 1831 in the neighborhood
of Litchfield. The Grays and Stokes were the first settlers in the southern
part of the county, a Frenchman, Shavenaugh by name, Dunbar and the
Hollenheads, were among the first in the northern part, and Thomas T.
Tunstall and Samuel Reid were early residents at Jacksonport. About the year
1833 or 1834, the Robinsons bought a steam-boat, the "Mount Pleasant," with
which they carried on a trade for several years following, between their
landing at Newport and New Orleans. [For the names of other pioneer settlers
see the early county officers and biographical sketches.]
The county lies in Northeast Arkansas, and is bounded on the north by
Lawrence, east by Craighead, Poinsett and Cross, south by Woodruff and White,
and west by White and Independence Counties. It has an area of 650 square
miles, of which only about one-fifth is improved. There are some government
lands in the county subject to homestead entry, and some State lands subject
to donation, and about 30,000 acres belonging to the St. Louis, Iron Mountain
& Southern Railway Company; the remainder is owned by individuals.
The boundary lines of the county are as follows: Beginning on the fifth
principal meridian, where it is intersected by the township line dividing
Townships 14 and 15 north; thence south on the meridian line to the point
where it is intersected by the township line dividing Townships 8 and 9
north; thence west on the township line to the range line between Ranges 2
and 3 west; thence north on the range line to the township line dividing
Townships 9 and 10 north; thence west on the township line to the range line
between Ranges 5 and 6 west; thence north on the range line to the township
line dividing Townships 10 and 11 north; thence east on the township line to
the range line between Ranges 3 and 4 west; thence north on the range line to
White River; thence down White River, following its meanders, to the mouth of
Black River; thence up Black River, following its meanders, to the point
where it first crosses (in its downward course) the township line dividing
Townships 14 and 15 north; thence east on the township line to the place of
beginning.
page 837
Jackson County is situated in the valleys of White, Black and Cache Rivers.
White River, after forming a short portion of the boundary, enters from the
west at the town of Jacksonport, and flows thence in a general southeasterly
direction to Newport, and thence a little west of south until it crosses the
southern boundary, in the middle of Range 4 west. It is a most magnificent
river, and is navigable throughout the year to points far north. Black River,
as has been noted, forms about one-half of the western boundary of the
county, and empties into White River just above the town of Jucksonport. It
also is a beautiful stream, very deep, and is navigable during all the
[p.837] year for a considerable distance. Cache River makes its appearance
near the center of the eastern boundary, and flows thence west of south,
passing out at a point about eight miles west of the southeast corner.
Village Creek enters the county at a point about two and a half miles west of
its northeast corner, and flows in a southerly and southwesterly direction,
and empties into White River about four miles south of Newport. Departec
Creek, from the north, runs in a southerly direction across the eastern part
of Township 10 north, Range 4 west, and empties into White River below.
These, the principal streams of the county, and their tributaries, furnish
its entire drainage. Cache River, and some of the smaller streams are
extremely slow and sluggish. In that region lying east of Black and White
Rivers there are several small lakes or bayous. Some good springs are found
here, though they are not so numerous as in a more hilly country. Cisterns
and wells are in general use, and the supply of good water for all purposes
is abundant.
That part of the county lying west of Departee Creek, embracing about one and
a half Congressional townships, is hilly, while the balance is comparatively
low and level; the farming lands bordering on White River being elevated some
six to eight feet above the Cache flats. The best farming lands embrace that
portion of country lying between Village Creek and White River, occupying a
low ridge rising several feet above the adjacent fiats, and elevated about
ten feet above high water of White River, and that portion of the Oil Trough
Bottom extending into the County of Independence. This latter tract is
situated in the bend of White River, south of Jacksonport and west of
Newport. The low ridge dividing the waters of Village Creek and White River
has a siliceous soil and subsoil of seven feet, under which is a stratum of
tough yellow clay, eighteen feet in thickness. These are underlaid by a light
colored sand, the thickness of which has not been ascertained; this sand
forms the sub-stratum, affording unfailing supplies of excellent pure water,
and is
reached by sinking wells from fifteen to thirty feet. The soil of the "first
bottoms," or the lowest valley lands, is composed of allnvial deposits and
vegetable mould, and that of the higher lands is made up of sand, clay and
vegetable mould, and all, excepting some portions of the hilly and ridge
lands, are exceedingly rich and fertile. The low lands along the streams and
bayons support a growth of large timber, gum, cypress, ash, pin oak,
hackberry, sycamore, cottonwood, elm, etc., while the higher lands abound in
black, white and post oak, black walnut and some hickory. The growth on the
hilly lands consists of several varieties of oak and some hickory, while the
summits are covered principally with blackjack oak. There is yet an unlimited
supply of good timber. No mineral is claimed to exist here. Aside from the
malaria caused by stagnant surface water in the extensive forests, the county
is comparatively healthy. The malarin disappears in proportion as the country
is cleared of its forests and the lands are drained.
At present the lumber industry is a leading source of income to individuals,
and as the supply of timber seems almost inexhaustible it will so continue
for many years. One stave factory, thirteen saw-mills and a planing-mill are
in operation. The lumber is extensively shipped to the manufacturing cities
of this country and also of Europe. Cotton, corn, oats, wheat, millet and
potatoes are the principal products of the soil, and with proper cultivation
the lands will produce per acre from 800 to 1,500 pounds of seed cotton,
thirty to sixty bushels of corn or oats, and fifteen to twenty-five bushels
of wheat. Clover and the seed grasses succeed well, but they are not as yet
extensively cultivated. All varieties of fruit common to this latitude can
also be raised in great excellence and abundance, but horticulture has not
received much attention. In 1880 there were 1,282 farms within the county and
48,497 acres of improved lands, from which the yield of products for the
previous year were as follows: Cotton, 13,895 bales; Indian corn, 384,398
bushels; oats, 6,399; wheat, 7,415; bay, 150 tons; Irish potatoes, 4,640
bushels; sweet potatoes, 7,239 bushels; tobacco, 4,790 pounds. The United
States census of 1890 will undoubtedly show the products of the present year
(1889) to be more than double these amounts.
page 838
The climate being so mild and the water supply so abundant, this locality is
well adapted to the raising of live stock, but little winter feeding being
necessary. According to the census referred to there were within the county
2,192 horses, 1,118 mules and asses, 11,246 neat cattle, 1,343 sheep and
18,006 hogs. The assessment rolls of 1888 show that the county then had 3,036
horses, 1,506 mules and asses, 15,171 neat cattle, 1,202 sheep and 13,429
hogs-a noticeable increase from 1880 to 1888 in horses, mules and asses and
cattle, a small decrease in the number of sheep, and a large apparent but not
real decrease in the number of hogs. A liberal income can be derived by
developing the horticultural advantages hereabouts.
In 1880 the real estate of Jackson County was assessed for taxation at
$1,029,404 and the personal property reaching $366,091, making a total of
$1,935,495, and the aggregate amount of taxes charged thereon was $27,389. In
1888 the real estate assessment was $2,146,781 and personal property,
$753,179, making a total of $2,899,960, upon which the aggregate amount of
taxes charged was $49,320.55. These figures indicate that since the year 1880
the taxable wealth of the county has more than doubled in value. This
increase is due mainly to the building of the railroads and the consequent
rapid development of resources in the community, the railroad property itself
adding to the assessment the sum of $615,856.
The main line of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway enters the
county about three miles west of its northeast corner and runs thence in a
southwesterly direction by way of Newport and other points-its length within
the county being thirty-six miles. The Batesville branch of this railroad
departs from the main line at Diaz, two miles north of Newport, its length
within this territory being five miles. The Batesville & Brinkley Railroad
enters eleven miles west of the southeast corner and runs mostly in a
northern direction to Newport, thence northwesterly to its present terminus
at Jacksonport, a distance of twenty-two miles. The total number of miles of
main line of railroada within the county is sixty-three.
The aggregate population of Jackson County since its organization, as shown
by various United States census reports, has been as follows: 1830, 333;
1840, 1,540; 1850, 3,086; 1860, 10,403; 1870, 7,268; 1880, 10,877. During the
first decade the population nearly trebled, during the second it doubled, and
during the third, it more than trebled. Then, in 1862, nearly half of the
territory was set off in the formation of Woodruff County, which accounts for
the reduction of population from 1860 to 1870. On account of the rapid
immigration since 1880 the population at this writing undoubtedly equals
15,000 or more. The colored population of the county in 1870 was 1,612, and
in 1880, 2,763. It is now estimated at 3,000.
Auvergne, on the Batesville & Brinkley Railroad, fourteen miles southeast of
Jacksonport, contains a postoffice, two general stores, a drug store, grist-
mill and cotton-gin, a blacksmith and wood shop, public school-house,
railroad depot, and some other establishments. The population is estimated at
200, and it does a large amount of trade. It is also the site of Auvergne
Academy.
Campbell is a station on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway,
five miles northeast of Newport.
Denmark, in Barren Township, in the extreme southwestern part of the county,
has two grist mills, a general store, blacksmith shop, post-office, etc.
Grand Glaize, also on the Iron Mountain Railway, fifteen miles southwest of
Jacksonport, comprises a saw mill, postoffice, railroad depot, and a general
store.
Irwin, a station on the Batesville & Brinkley Railroad, five miles southeast
of Newport, has a small collection of houses.
page 839
Jacksonport, on the north bank of White River just below the mouth of Jack's
or Jacque's Creek, the present county seat, was established about the year
1839, by Thomas T. Tunstall, who in company with Samuel Reid, opened the
first store in the place. It contains the county buildings, three general
stores, a drug store, a family grocery, a steam, saw and grist-mill, three
church edifices-one for the white people and two for the colored; [p.839] two
public school houses, a livery stable, a cabinet-maker and undertaker's shop,
two restaurants, and a number of mechanics' shops. The population is
estimated at 500, and is about equally divided between the whites and blacks.
Before the day of railroads-or before they were constructed through this part
of the country-Jacksonport did a flourishing business, but the building up of
Newport at the crossing of two railroad lines, has interfered somewhat with
its business. This is a desirable and excellent site for a town.
Newport, the largest town in Jackson County, is situated on White River, at
the junction of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern and the Batesville &
Brinkley Railroads, eighty-three miles northeast of Little Rock, and three
and a half miles southeast of Jacksonport. It has within it two banks, eight
general stores, ten family grocery stores, five drug stores, two hardware
stores, an undertaking store, a harness store, a merchant tailor store, two
millinery and dressmaking establishments, a music store, two jewelry stores,
two book and stationcry stores, a photograph gallery, a livery stable, five
restaurants, four hotels, two bakeries, marble works, three saw-mills, with
lumber yards attached, three planing-mills, a carriage factory, an extensive
stave factory, foundry and machine shops, a complete system of water-works, a
capacious ice factory, a large cotton compress, commodious railroad depots
and warehouses, an important cotton secd warehouse (formerly the oil mills,)
opera house, three church edifices, public school-houses, a telephone system
forming communication between various points, a ferry across White River,
many mechanics' shops, a full supply of doctors, lawyers, notaries public,
insurance agents, etc. Two weekly newspapers, both Democratic in politics,
are also here; the Jackson County Herald, successor to the Jacksonport
Herald, which was established at Jacksonport in 1858, is a seven-column
folio, published every Saturday by T. T. Ward, editor and proprietor. The
Newport Weekly News is an eight-column folio, published every Friday by J. J.
Flahiff, editor and proprietor. It was established in 1873, and was the first
paper published in Newport. Both of these journals ably advocate the
interests of the community. In addition to the foregoing, Newport contains
many other industries worthy of mention. The town was established and named
soon after the settlement began, but remained only a small village until
1872, when the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway was completed. Its
growth then commenced and it has been almost entirely built since that date.
It has lodges of several secret and benevolent societies, is incorporated and
has its complement of corporate officers. It is a flourishing town, very
advantageously located for manufacturing purposes, having two good railroads
and a river navigable for large vessels. The lumber and timber traffic on the
river has reached extensive proportions. The population of the place is
estimated at 2,500.
Olyphant is a station on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway,
eight miles south-west of Newport. It has a railroad depot, postoffice, two
general stores and a saw-mill and cotton-gin.
Swifton, also on the Iron Mountain Railway, twenty miles northeast of
Jacksonport, contains a postoffice, a steam grist-mill and cotton-gin, two
general stores, one dry goods and grocery store, two groceries, two hotels, a
school-house, mechanics' shops, etc., and a population of about 150.
Tuckerman, on the Iron Mountain Railway, ninety-one miles northeast of Little
Rock and eight miles north of Newport, is comprised of a post-office, three
general stores, two groceries, two drug stores, two blacksmith and wood
shops, one hotel, two boarding-houses, a school-house, a church, two saw-
mills and cotton-gins combined, and has a population of 150.
Tupelo is a station on the Batesville & Brinkley Railroad, twenty-two miles
south of Jacksonport.
Weldon, on the Batesville & Brinkley Railroad, eighteen miles south of
Jacksonport, contains two general stores, two groceries, one hotel,
postoffice, etc.
R. W. Anderson, one of the pioneer merchants, and a highly esteemed resident
of Jacksonport, was born September 12, 1846, in the State of Ohio. His
parents, John and Jane (Kerr) Anderson were both natives of Dublin, Ireland,
who emigrated to America about the year 1830, and located in Pennsylvania,
from which State they moved to Ohio, and from there to Iowa, about the year
1850. In September, 1859, they came to Jacksonport, Ark., where the father
died on February 28, 1888, the mother preceding him in 1887. They were the
parents of nine children, of whom only one survives-Robert W. The father was
a Presbyterian minister, and had been ordained in Ireland. He preached the
gospel up to within a few years of his demise, and was one of the most
intellectual and scholarly men that ever spoke from a pulpit at that period.
He afterward left the Presbyterian and joined the Methodist faith, and was
also engaged for some years in mercantile life at Jacksonport. His son,
Robert W., was born in Ohio, but principally raised and received his
education in Iowa. He was still quite young, however, when his parents moved
to Jacksonport, and he there received the higher branches of education from
his father. The commercial instinct was early in life developed in Robert,
and he was brought up behind the counter from a boy. The training he
received in his young days was well calculated to fit him for a mercantile
life, and his after career reflected the highest credit on himself and his
father, who had instructed him. He has one of the largest and best stocked
stores in the city, and owns about 480 acres of land, most of which is under
cultivation, and is adapted to almost any growth, the soil being a rich,
sandy loam. Mr. Anderson has been twice married, his first wife being Miss
Mary A. Jones, by whom he had four children, three of them yet living-John,
Fannie, and Lizzie. The first wife died, and Mr. Anderson married a second
time, being united to the next wife in 1884, who was Miss Ella Nixon, of
Indiana. This union gave them four children (of whom three are living):
Robert W. (deceased), Robert W., Poarl and Allie. Mr. Anderson is a Royal
Arch Mason, and a member of the Knights of Honor. He was one of the first
men to start in business at Jacksonport, and his fortitude and pluck in
struggling through the adversities of a young business venture and coming
out victorious have won for him the admiration and respect of his
fellow-merchants and citizens.
Samuel Anthony, farmer and stock raiser, is a native of Missouri, but came to
Arkansas in 1860. He remained but three or four months, when he returned to
Missouri, and after a short time again returned to Arkansas, Jackson County,
in 1861, where he remained until the following autumn, and then enlisted in
the Fourteenth Regiment of Arkansas Volunteer Cavalry, serving as a scout for
about two years. In 1863 he organized a company of scouts, reported to Gen.
Sterling Price, then stationed at Little Rock, Ark., and served to the end of
the war as captain of that company. In 1866 he purchased 240 acres of land,
partially improved, adding by subsequent purchases, until he now owns 720
acres, on which he raises all kinds of produce known to American agriculture.
September 12, 1872, he married Miss Mary A. Parmer, a native of Tennessee.
They have had eight children, four of whom are still living: Emma (born in
October, 1874), Ethel (born February 6, 1883), Katie (born May 25, 1885) and
Edgar (born August 15, 1887). Mr. Anthony is a member of Buck Skull Lodge No.
101, A. F. & A. M. Our subject's father was a native of Virginia, as was also
his grandfather; he married Miss Unica Shepherd, a native of Missouri. Mr.
Anthony's maternal grandparents traveled on foot from Georgia to Missouri,
locating in the southeastern part, near Cape Girardeau.
page 841
Adam Bach, an enterprising merchant, and the postmaster at Jacksonport, was
born in Hessen, Germany, on the 1st of March, 1863, and is a son of Conrad
Bach, a native of the same place, who was a shoemaker by trade, which
occupation he followed in Germany, previous to coming to America. [p.841] The
father had two children by his first wife: Adam and Lizzie; the latter was
married to G. A. Lockard. He was married a second time and had four children
by the next wife: Margaretta, Morie, Conrad and Peter. Adam, the eldest son,
was reared in Germany and completed his studies at Gross. Rohrheim College,
from which he graduated in 1878. He shortly afterward sailed for America,
taking passage at Bremen, and landed at Baltimore, going from there to Tell
City, Ind., where he attended school for eight months in order to learn the
English language. In the spring of 1879 he came to Jacksonport, and was there
employed by his uncle Peter, with whom he remained until the year 1882, when
he embarked in business for himself. Since then he has been successful, and
become very prosperous, making an enterprising merchant and a valuable
citizen to his adopted country. He was appointed postmaster in 1884, and his
intelligence and many fine qualities would fit him for almost any other
position or business in which he might enter. He is also a member of the
Masonic fraternity. Peter Bach is a well-known and retired merchant of
Jacksonport, who was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, on November 4, 1835.
He is a son of Peter and Margaretta (Crow) Bach, both natives of the same
province, the father dying when his son was but two years of age. The mother,
however, is still living at the age of eighty-one years, and came to America
in 1882. There were three children born to the parents: John S., Peter and
Conrad. Peter was reared and educated in the home college, and learned the
barber's trade in his native place, an occupation he followed for four years.
In 1853 he sailed for America, taking passage in France, and landing in New
York City after a twentyseven days' voyage on the ocean. From New York he
went to Cincinnati, where he was employed at his trade for some time, and
then found employment on the Empire No. 3, a steamboat plying up and down the
Mississippi. He remained on this vessel about six months, and then came to
Jacksonport, where he has resided ever since. On May 5, 1861, he enlisted in
Company G, of the First Arkansas Regiment, and served until a short time
before the surrender. He took part in all the batties of his regiment, and
was severely wounded at Atlanta, Ga., from which place he was taken to the
Macon Hospital, and hovered between life and death for three months. He was
furloughed in 1864, and went to Alabama, and in 1865 returned home to
Jacksonport. Mr. Bach is now practically retired from business. He is quite
prosperous, owning about 2,000 acres of valuable land and a fine residence at
Jacksonport, besides interests in various industries. He was married, in
1865, to Miss Jennie Hudson, who has been a devoted wife and helpmate to him.
Mr. Bach is a Royal Arch Mason, Knight Templar, Knight of Pythias, and a
member of the American Legion of Honor.
page 842
G. W. Bandy, farmer and stock raiser, Tuckerman, Ark. It is a fact
unnecessary of denial that a person is better fitted to follow the occupation
with which he became familiar in early life, than to engage in an undertaking
learned in later years. This truth is borne out by the career of Mr. Bandy,
who from a boy has known all the minute details of agricultural life. To this
acquired knowledge may be added a natural faculty for that calling, for his
father, Richard Bandy, was also a farmer. The latter was a native Virginian,
but emigrated to Tennessee when a boy, grew to manhood on the farm in that
State, and there married Miss Keziah Pearce, by whom he had four children,
only one, G. W. Bandy, now living. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, under
Gen. Jackson, and afterward received land warrants, which he sold. His second
marriage was to Miss Lucy Rushing, a native of Tennessee, and they had four
children, only one living, Amanda, now Mrs. John M. Glass, who resides in
Glass Township, Jackson County, Ark. Mr. Bandy moved to Bird Township,
Jackson County, Ark., in 1853, where he purchased eighty acres of land, with
ten acres cleared. He died in 1834. His wife died in September, 1887, at the
age of eighty-three years. G. W. Bandy was born in Sumner County, Tenn., in
1827, and as before stated, was reared to the duties on the farm. He received
a fair education in the schools of his native county; and in Bedford County,
Tenn., in 1846, Miss Drucilla [p.842] Salina Mitchell Perry, a native of
Bedford County, became his wife. Her parents, Wiley and Letitia (Gentry)
Perry, were natives, respectively, of North Carolina and Tennessee. Mr. Perry
was a farmer and tanner, and made Bedford County his home until his death, in
1868. His wife had died previously, in 1867. Grandfather Allen Perry was in
the Revolutionary War, and Grandmother Perry went to New Orleans to enter the
fort for protection. G. W. Bandy after marriage settled in his native State,
followed farming until 1850, when he came to Arkansas, landing at Jacksonport
on the 25th of December, 1850. One year later he went to Izard County,
purchased a claim, but the same year sold this and moved to Jackson County,
Ark., where he purchased an eighty-acre tract with twenty acres in tillable
shape. To the original tract he had added from time to time until he owned
280 acres with 100 acres cleared. Later he sold this and invested in 320
acres, unimproved, set out an orchard, erected a cabin and otherwise improved
his farm. He now owns 840 acres, with 450 under cultivation, and has a great
many tenants. He raises principally on his farm cotton and corn, and has 200
acres in cotton yearly. He is also engaged in raising stock, and on his
extensive meadows may been seen many fine horses and mules. He is a Democrat
in politics, and is active in school matters, and represented the school
interests of Bird Township as trustee. He has two school-houses on his land,
donated for buildings, one for white and one for colored children. Socially,
Mr. Bandy is a member of the Masonic order; was made a Mason in 1848, at
Marsh Hill Lodge No. 144, Rutherford County, Tenn. He is now a member of
Lunenberg Lodge No. 190, A. F. & A. M., at Lunenberg, Izard County, Ark. Mr.
Bandy was charter member of Kirkpatrick Lodge No. 192. In 1865 he moved to
Lunenberg, Izard County, Ark., for the purpose of educating his children,
five in number, as five were deceased. Those living are named Richard W., now
married and resides at Tuckerman; William A., married and resides in Comauche
County, Tex.; George O., married and resides in Bird Township; Jane, now Mrs.
Conditt, resides in Bird Township, and Lucilla, at home. Mr. Bandy has been
active in his support of worthy enterprises and contributes liberally to all.
He is practically a self-made man, having made all by his own industry.
page 843
A. P. Bateman, merchant, Elmo, Ark. Nowhere in this section of the county is
to be found a more wide-awake, thorough-going business man than the gentleman
whose name heads this sketch. Born to the union of Simeon D. and Mary
(Connaly) Bateman, on the farm where he now lives, in Jackson County, August
6, 1859, A. P. Bateman has ever since been a resident of this county. His
father, Dr. Simeon D. Bateman, was born in Tennessee in 1829, and emigrated
with his father to Independence County, Ark., in about 1832. They located
seven miles west of Sulphur Rock, and here Simeon D. was reared and educated.
At the age of fifteen years he began the study of medicine and graduated at
New Orleans Medical College some time later. He first began practicing in
Independence County, and afterwards moved to Jacksonport,
where he administered to the physical wants of his fellow-men for thirty
years. By his marriage to Miss Mary Connaly, a native of Arkansas, he became
the father of eight children- six now living: Charles T., Alice J., widow;
Albert P., Nora C. (deceased), Savannah, David L., Mary and Susan. The
grandfather of these children, Benniah Bateman, died near Sulphur Rock, Ark.
He was an old Mexican soldier, and was a military man most of his life. He
was also a member of the legislature for several years, and the governor gave
him the prize for the nicest suit of jean clothes to be found in the senate.
He was a very matter-of-fact, stern man. A. P. Bateman attained his growth
and received his education in Jackson County, and, being brought up on the
farm, naturally his inclinations turned that way, after he had reached years
of discretion. In 1884 he also engaged in merchandising and this business he
still carries on. He is successful and is a substantial business man. Charles
T. was also reared to farm labor, and received the principal part of his
education in the common schools. For several years he was engaged in teaching
school, but the balance of his time was occupied [p.843] on the farm. He was
married, in 1877, to Miss Panthia Long, who died in 1882, and the result of
this union is two living children: Hattie and Millie. Mr. Bateman was married
the second time, in 1884, to Miss Annie J. McGoffin, by whom he has three
children: Annie, Emma and Fannie. Mr. Bateman is a member of the Masonic
fraternity.
William H. Beede, farmer and stock raiser of Cow Lake Township, residing five
miles southeast of Layton, was born in Orange County, N. Y., in 1837, being
the son of Addison C. Beede, of Vermont, and Elizabeth (Weygant) Beede, of
New York nativity. William H. received his education partly in the public
schools of his native county, and finished his education at Newburgh. At the
age of seventeen, he was apprenticed to the carriage workers' trade, to Mr.
Theodore Weygant, Highland Mills, Orange County, N. Y. At the breaking out of
the late war, he was working at his trade in Germantown, Tenn.; he enlisted
in the Thirteenth Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, Confederate States Army,
participating in the battles of Belmont and Shiloh, and after one year was
discharged on account of physical disability. Returning to Tennessee, he
worked at his trade, till he came to Arkansas, in 1867; that year he bought
280 acres of land in Woodruff County, about ten acres being cultivated; he at
once commenced improving and clearing the land, building stables and
cribs, besides a log house. He remained there one year, when he came to
Jackson County, purchased 160 acres of land, only eight being under
cultivation. Since that time he has cleared and improved the land, and
erected a good frame house, and other buildings. He now owns 550 acres of
land, 140 of which are under cultivation, having deeded 160 acres to his
eldest son, after his marriage. August 20, 1867, Mr. Beede married Miss M. J.
Nance; they have had nine children: Julane N., born July 11, 1868; Jasper
Newton, born September 3, 1869; William W., born September, 1870; Macy, born
February 28, 1874; Joseph A., born May 6, 1875; Francis W., born March 2,
1877; Fletcher H., born September 19, 1880; Eugene A., born November 4, 1882,
and Amelia Viola, born September 18, 1883. Mr. Beede is a great friend to
education, and was the first school director in Cow Lake Township, and for
four years the only one, and since 1874 had been superintendent of schools
for the State. There are now four free schools in Cow Lake Township.
C. Biggers, planter and stock raiser of Bird Township, was born in Randolph
County, Ark., in 1845, the fifth in a family of seven. His parents were
natives of Tennessee, and came to Randolph County in an early day, the father
dying when our subject was young, the mother still surviving, in Baxtor
County, Ark. The subject of this sketch was raised on the farm, receiving a
very limited education, and in 1864, at Pocahontas, enlisted in McCray's
brigade, Crammond's regiment, for one year. At the battle of Pilot Knob he
received a gun-shot wound, which prevented further service, and he returned
to Jackson County, Ark., where, the same year, he married Elizabeth (Ridley)
Conditt, widow of John A. Conditt. He then rented land, commenced farming,
and in 1877 bought eighty acres of timber-land, which he has improved and
added to, until he now owns 160 acres, 100 under cultivation, averaging
about, fifty acres a year in cotton, which is the principal product. He also
raises some stock. They have a family of six children: Sarah A. (now Mrs.
Tinsley, of Bird Township), Samuel E., James Henry, Thomas Calvin, Richard
Franklin and William Richard. Mr. Biggers is a Democrat,
and has been a member of the school board, taking an active interest in
school work. He has seen a vast change in Jackson County, and has done his
share toward opening it up and developing it. Mr. Biggers has made what he
has by his own individual efforts, and takes an interest in everything for
the welfare of the county.
page 844
Oliver Blackburn, general farmer and stock raiser, was born in the town of
Cash, Jackson County, in 1847, son of William and Mary (Johnson) Blackburn,
the father a native of North Carolina, who married in Alabama. The subject of
this sketch married Miss Wilkinson, a native of Jackson County, Ark., and
they have had three children: Lydia, born in 1871, married A. W. Parish in
1887; Harriet Emma, born in 1874, at [p.844] home, and Lyda, born in
February, 1882. Mrs. Blackburn's father died in 1859, and was buried in the
family cemetery, on Sections 17 and 18. Mr. Blackburn, like all native-born
Americans, is an ardent lover of his native State, and has witnessed great
changes, having been an active participant in the development of the country.
As early as Mr. Blackburn can remember, the market for the farm produce was
Elizabeth, and game being plenty, many pelts and skins of animals adorned the
fences and barn, which found a market at Jacksonport. Our subject now gives
his attention to raising cotton and mules. While he has not had the best
educational advantages, he has always been a friend to education and
progress.
J. C. Bleakley is a planter and stock raiser of Auvergne. His parents were
William C. and Catherine Bleakley, of North Carolina. Mr. Bleakley came to
the southern part of Arkansas before the war, where he married, after which
he came to Jackson County and bought what is now the Pickett farm. Later he
moved to Hempstead County, where he raised his family, and where our subject
was born, October 20, 1854. The family consisted of nine children, four of
whom lived to be grown-William, died at the age of twenty-one; J. C., Mary,
wife of Charles Harris, now the wife of George Johnson, farmer of Oil Trough
Bottom; and Robert, a farmer. The father, a conservative man politically,
died in 1865, and the mother in 1874. They were both members of Missionary
Baptist Church. J. C. spent his boyhood days on his mother's farm, and at the
age of eleven years began its management. He was his mother's main stay, and
assisted his brothers and
sisters in getting an education, sending his sister one term to the high
school at La Crosse. In 1868 he sold his property in Hempstead County, came
to Jackson County, and bought forty acres of land, which he began clearing
and improving, and on which he has since resided. In 1877 he bought 120 acres
adjoining, and now has 115 acres under cultivation, south of Auvergne,
raising corn and cotton. In November, 1876, he married Miss Abertine Clanton,
daughter of Javison and Dulciana (Morris) Clanton, of South Carolina and
Georgia, respectively, who came to Union Township, Jackson County, in 1871.
Her father died in 1882, but the mother, still surviving, resides in Union
Township. She has three brothers-William. John and Thomas, farmers in
Faulkner County, and a sister, Georgia, wife of John E. Manger, farmer, of
Faulkner County. Mr. Bleakley's family consists of five children living-
Oscar, Lulu, Lina, Crawford, Claude and Georgia; Clyde died in childhood. In
addition to this family, they are raising and giving a home to Idle, Willie
and Eva Nelson, children of a widow, one of his tenants, whose dying wish was
that they should raise her children. Mr. Bleakley has a pleasant and
comfortable home, and has seen a great many improvements in this community.
He and his wife are members of Sand Hill Baptist Church. He is a Democrat,
but conservative. He is a most enterprising farmer, raising horses, cattle
and hogs. He is always active in the interest of all public enterprises for
the welfare of the county.
page 845
John Boen is the only child of Thomas and Sallie (Leonard) Boen, both natives
of Tennessee, and of Scotch and English descent, respectively. Thomas Boen
came to Arkansas from Tennessee in the fall of 1845, and located on Sections
14 and 15, in the township now known as Cache, purchasing from the United
States Government 320 acres of heavily-timbered land, upon which he built a
log cabin, and as he chopped down the trees made rails to fence the land. At
the time of his death, which occurred in 1857 or 1858, he had seventy acres
cleared and under cultivation, and his farm well stocked with cattle and
hogs, wolves preventing the raising of sheep. His first wife dying when John
was but an infant, Thomas Boen, in 1847, married Mrs. Nancy (Kirkland)
Mackey, by whom he had two children: James Wesley, now married, and
residing on our subject's farm, and Andrew J., who died in 1877, at the age
of twenty-seven years. John Boen was married, in 1859, to Miss Catherine
Mathering, a native of Tennessee, and to them have been born two children,
viz.: Henry J., born November 12, 1861, is a farmer, and resides near his
father; he married Miss Callie Ragsdale, of Arkansas, May 2, 1886, and they
[p.845] have one child, Lena, about two years old. John R. Boen was born
February 4, 1865, and was married, September 1, 1887, to Cynthia Lunley, who
has borne two children, one, Laura Belle, dying at the age of two months; the
other, Thomas Jefferson, is one month old. He is also a farmer, and owns a
farm in Breckinridge Township. Mr. John Boen came into possession of forty
acres of land through his wife; he now owns in all 320 acres of land, about
125 acres of which are under cultivation; corn and cotton are his principal
crops, and his farm is well stocked with horses, cattle and hogs of good
grade. Mr. Boen is interested in all matters tending toward the advancement
of religious and educational interests, and is in every respect an
enterprising farmer of Jackson County. Mrs. Boen is a member of the Christian
Church.
Henry Bordwell, one of the leading citizens of Jacksonport, was born in
Ontario County, N. Y. His parents were John and Abigail (Travis) Bordwell,
the former a native of Massachusetts, who emigrated to New York at an early
age, and located at Chautauqua Lake, where he resided until his death. After
the demise of the father his family moved to Ontario County. They were the
parents of three children, of whom Henry is the only one living. Honry was
reared and received his schooling in Ontario County, N. Y. In 1858 he moved
to Arkansas, and located in Jackson County, where he has since resided. When
the Civil war commenced he enlisted in Company B, Eighth Arkansas Regiment,
and during the battle of Shiloh was severely wounded in the ankle by a rifle
ball. To add to his misfortune, he was captured and taken prisoner
to Louisville, and from there to Camp Chase, where he was closely confined
for about four months. He was then taken to Vicksburg, where he was exchanged
and returned home. Mr. Bordwell has been actively engaged in business up to
within a few years, and during that time has acquired a comfortable fortune
upon which he is entitled to retire. He owns considerable town property in
Jacksonport, and, although not in active commercial life, he is wideawake to
the interests and development of his county, and is always ready to give his
valuable assistance for that cause. He is an old resident of Jackson County,
and has watched its growth from infancy up to the present, and can recount
many interesting incidents of the various changes that have taken place
during his stay.
page 846
Dr. R. L. Boyce, physician and surgeon, Tuckerman, Ark. Dr. Boyce is
recognized throughout the county as a friend of and laborer in the cause and
advancement of the medical fraternity. He is a native of Ralls County, Mo.,
born in 1832, and is the fourth in a family of six children, born to Richard
and Elizabeth (Foreman) Boyce, natives of the Blue Grass State. Dr. Boyce was
reared to farm labor, and in 1849, when but seventeen years of age, he was
seized with the gold fever and started with an ox-team to cross the plains to
California. He was three months in making the perilous trip, and after
reaching that State was engaged in mining until 1852, when he returned to
Ralls County, Mo., quite well satisfied with the result of his visit to the
Golden State, after which he engaged in cultivating the soil, and in 1854
entered the State University at Columbia, Mo., taking a literary course. He
subsequently entered the St. Louis Medical University, graduating from that
institution in the spring of 1860. He first began practicing medicine in
Macon County,
Mo., in 1857, where he remained until 1859, entering the St. Louis Medical
University, graduating at the dates stated above. Then moving to Bird
Township, Jackson County, Ark., he purchased a farm near Elgin, and began a
systematic course of fertilizing and cultivating the soil. At the breaking
out of the late conflict, he enlisted, in 1861, in Lawrence County, and was
regimental surgeon in Col. Adams' regiment, Col. Shaver's brigade, and under
Gen. Hindman, but part of the time served as brigade surgeon. He remained in
service until 1863, when he returned to Jackson County, and resumed the
practice of medicine, which he has followed ever since. He has been actively
engaged in farming and having it carried on, and is now the owner of 320
acres of good land, with 160 acres in tillable condition. He has contributed
more than any other man to the introduction of fine stock in his
neighborhood. [p.846] He brought the first Durham and Berkshire stock into
that part of the county. The Doctor is quite active in polities, and votes
with and is a supporter of the Democratic party. Socially, he is a member of
the Masonic fraternity. In his religious con viction he adheres to the
Presbyterian Church, and is a liberal contributor to the same. He is deeply.
interested in educational matters. and is at present a member of the school
board. His parents emigrated to Missouri at an early period settling in what
is Ralls County, where the father tilled the soil for many years. He was
quite an active man, politically. was county judge of Ralls County. quite a
number of years, and was a good and useful citizen. He served in the War of
1812 from Kentucky, under Old Hickory. He died in 1869, and his wife,
previously, in 1867. Their family consisted of the following children: James,
the eldest. first settled on a farm in Missouri. later moved to Texas,
locating near Bastrop. where he tilled the soil until his death. in 1859;
Aaron, married. settled also in Texas. before it was part of the United
States. having many fights with the Indians and narrow escapes, and there his
death occurred in 1856; Nicholas. was also a pioneer of Texas, and died in
1858. A. W. Boyce brother of the Doctor, came to Jackson County. with his
family in 1884. and settled on a farm where the subject of this sketch
resides, and there died in 1886, leaving a widow and two bright and promising
children. son and daughter-the son holding a responsible position among the
county officials- E. L. and Lucia. R. L. Boyce, the subject of this sketch
had four sisters, all of whom married men of some distinction. and all have
joined the silent throng, that are passing on before.
Thomas Britt, planter and stock raiser, son of Alexander and Nancy (Pranat)
Britt, natives of North Carolina. came with his parents from Mississippi, in
1848, and located on Section 23. He was born April 10. 1842, in Mississippi.
and received his education in the private schools of that time. In 1863 he
entered the Confederate service in Col. Gaw's Regiment Arkansas Volunteer
Infantry. was captared in the hospital at Little-Rock. in September. 1863.
and sent to Camp Morton, Indianapolis, Ind. where he remained till the close
of the war. arriving home May 13. 1865. Ilie father was wounded in battle,
from the effects of which he died. the mother died in 1865. Coming into
possession of all his father's property by will. Thomas took possession of
the homestead, and at once commenced cultivating the land, which was in bad
condition, but little of the farm having been cultivated during the war. and
only fifty of the 360 acres being cleared. August 11, 1868, Mr. Britt married
Miss Anna Combs. a native of Alabama. and whose parents came to Arkansas in
1852; their children were Julia M., (born July 6, 1870), Iduma (born March 7.
1873, deceased), Ida (born
October 2. 1875). Alice (born July 29, 1880), Luvena (born May 7, 1878.
deceased), Jacob L. (born March 4. 1883), and John F. (born August 29, 1885).
In 1872 Mr. Britt erected the comfortable house in which he now lives. He has
upon his place a steam cotton-gin, also grist-mill and barns. Being an early
settler. he remembers well when the only grist-mills were turned by hand,
when the most was obtained from the forests, and when wolvesand bears
rendered it almost impossible to raise sheep and hogs. He is a member of the
Missionary Baptist Church. and his wife of the Methodist. He is a Democrat.
and has been justice of the peace, and although not an educated man himself.
his children have received the advantages of the best schools in the
neighborhood.
page 847
Emmn (Authory) Buford. of Union Township, Jackson County. resides three miles
south of Newport, upon the farm which her husband owned and improved, and
upon which he died, May 28, 1889. Mrs. Buford is a native of Madison County.
Mo., of which State her parents were also natives. September 4. 1873. she
married William Buford. and the same year they located on the farm the
Jackson County, Ark., which has ever since been her home. They had four
children. viz.; May Buford, born July 21. 1874; Maud Buford, born September
29, 1877; Bertha Buford. born July 26, 1882, and Homer. born February 5.
1886. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Buford was of German descent. and Mr.
Buford's maternal grandfather. George Nifong. lived to be eighty eight years
of [p.847] age, retaining to the last full possession of all his faculties.
Mr. Buford projected many plans for the improvement of his farm, which his
sudden death prevented him from
carrying out, but Mrs. Buford has taken up the management of the farm, and is
completing her husband's plans. The place now contains 420 acres. Mr. Buford
was an enterprising farmer, a kind neighbor and affectionate husband, and in
his death the county was deprived of a most exemplary man. The following
preamble and resolution was adopted by the White River Stock Breeders'
Association, at a meeting in June, 1889, and appeared in the columns of the
Newport News, issued June 7, 1889: "William Buford died at his home, May 28,
1889, and it becomes our duty to give formal expression to the sorrow of our
association at the loss of so valuable a member. The mere mention of his name
is sufficient to recall to the minds of surviving members more vividly than
any words the uprightness and rectitude of his conduct, which earned
for him the high standing he enjoyed as a citizen, and as a valued member and
acquisition to the White River Stock Breeders' Association. Plain, sincere
and honest was William Buford, and as treasurer of the association, to which
position he was elected one year ago, he was prompt and fully alive to its
interests.
Dead-and where now are those earnest, loving eyes.
Which kindled in so many eyes the light?
Have they departed from our carthly skies
And left no ray to illuminate the night?
Shall man thus die and waste away
And no fond hope be left?
Is there no sweet, confiding ray for bosoms all bereft?
Yes, yes, an earnest trust.
Resolved, That a page of our records be suitably inscribed and set apart,
sacred to his memory, and that a copy of this memorial be furnished his
family, with our deepest, warmest and most loving sympathy." The resolution
was unanimously adopted by a standing vote.
Thomas J. Burton, postmaster at Layton, was born in Mississippi, March 15.
1847. His parents were Thomas F. and Nancy (Burton) Burton, who came to
Arkansas in 1869. The father was born in Halifax, Va., in 1808, and the
mother in Rockingham County, N. C., in 1808. In their family there were seven
children: William F., John A., Sarah Jane (wife of S. J. Moore), Mary S.
(wife of D. A. Kimbrough), Henry J. and Thomas J. The father died in 1878,
the mother in 1879. The subject of our sketch received his education in
Kemper County, Miss., and made his first purchase of land in 1869, on
Sections 26 and 27, in Cache Township. There were 220 acres in the tract,
thirty-five of which were under cultivation, and fenced with rails. Thomas
cleared twenty acres more, and erected a good double-box house, hauling
lumber from Augusta, Woodruff County, a distance of twenty miles, and paying
$20 per thousand. At various times Mr.
Burton has cleared fifty acres of land. At the age of sixteen, Thomas J.
enlisted in the Confederate service, served two years, participating in all
the battles from Resaca to Atlanta, leaving Hood's army at Dalton, on his
return to Tennessee, after the campaign at Atlanta. He was in Gen. J. E.
Johnston's army at the time of the surrender, at Gainsborough, in April,
1865, and still has in his possession the parole received at that time. In
1878, in partnership with Mr. D. A. Kimbrough, he opened a stock of general
merchandise at Layton (now Bower's Ridge), and continued till 1882, when he
sold out to his partner. In 1885, after farming three years, he again engaged
in business with Mr. Hite, but in January, 1889, Mr. Kimbrough bought Mr.
Hite's interest. In connection with this he carries on his farming
enterprises. Mr. Burton's first wife was Miss Narcie Otey, of Arkansas; they
had one child, Augustus, born June 22, 1873. Obtaining a divorce, in 1874,
they separated, and December 2, 1879, Mr. Burton married Miss Ada Murphy.
They have had four children: T. Ewing, deceased; Beenie, born June 21, 1883;
Willie May, born January 5, 1885; David Henry, born
April 2, 1888. Mr. Burton is now the owner of eighty acres of land. His wife
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has served three terms as
justice of the peace in Jackson County, Ark., or for six years.
page 848
George D. Camp, farmer and fruit raiser, of Jackson County, was born in
Pittsylvania County, Va., September 30, 1830, being a son of William [p.848]
H. Camp (German descent), of Virginia, and Catherine (Whitehead) Camp (French
descent), also of Virginia. May 7, 1852, he married Miss Maria Ferguson, of
McCracken County, Ky., whose parents came from Rhode Island. By this union
they had two children: Luther R., now of Perry County, Ark., and Catherine F.
(married William F. Hammond, and died in 1881). Mrs. Camp died June 15, 1866,
and he again married Mrs. Martha (Nance) Robertson, who had two children:
William Jesse Robertson and Martha A. By his second wife Mr. Camp has eight
children: George Washington, born September 28, 1861; Nancy J. Camp, born May
10, 1863; Sarah E., born May 29, 1865; Doctor Dick Camp, born April 10, 1867;
Daniel L., born March 23, 1869; John H., born December 24, 1870; Laura Jane,
born January, 1873; Mary A., born December 24, 1875; and Martha H., born
February 8, 1880. Mrs. Camp died October 6, 1886, and Mr. Camp married Mrs.
Missouri Crabtree, who had one child, Eva Blair, by her first husband, who
lives with her stepfather. Mr. Camp learned the carpenter's trade, finished
it in 1853, and engaged in the business for three and a half years, when he
commenced farming. After coming to Arkansas he leased a farm belonging to the
estate of John Jones, at the expiration of which lease he moved upon the
present farm, which has since been his home. He bought the land of the State
of Arkansas at seventy-five cents per acre, and with will and determination
commenced clearing and improving it. Mr. Camp now has fifty-five acres of
land under cultivation, seven acres being in orchard, containing apple,
peach, pear and fig trees, he having the largest and finest variety of fruit
in Arkansas, in which he takes a just pride. Mr. and Mrs. Camp are both
members of the Christian Church, and Mr. Camp has always been a friend to
religious, educational and social advancement, and by strict and honest
dealing, has earned the reputation of an honest man. What higher tribute can
be paid his name? He well deserves a place in the present volume.
Jarrett Record Carter, a planter and stock raiser of Jackson County, was a
son of Kinchen and Cazar (Johnson) Carter. The father came to Arkansas in
1849, bringing seven children with him, five remaining in Tennessee. He died
in 1851, leaving his widow and children almost destitute. The wife died in
1868. The subject of our sketch, born January 26, 1840, educated himself,
and, although having little learning, is shrewd, intelligent and liberal in
business affairs, and in all things for the advancement of his State. In 1863
he purchased a tract of twenty-three acres of land, on which was a small hut,
where he lived ten or twelve years, renting land and farming, and
accumulating means, until at the present time he owns 253 acres, about 100
under cultivation. He has good dwellings and barns on the place, and such
improvements as are necessary, together with a small orchard. In 1863 Mr.
Carter married Mrs. Melissa (Benson) Jones. His second wife was Mary Jane
Sutherland. Of the family there are these living children: Bettie, born March
12, 1873; Sarah, born October 2, 1874; Jarrett R., Jr., born January 17,
1877; Mabel, born September 5, 1883; and Rosenell, born October 17, 1885. Mr.
Carter has taken the degree of Fellow Craft, A. F. & A. M., and intends to
advance at the first opportunity, sickness having prevented. He is a member
of the Christian Church, and a friend to religious and educational
advancement.
page 849
Col. J. W. Clark, a prominent planter and stock raiser of Glass Township,
Jackson County, was born in Madison County, Ala., in 1833. His parents were
Thomas and Esther (Moore) Clark, natives, respectively, of South Carolina and
Alabama, who had seven children, of whom J. W. was the third. Thomas Clark,
who was also a farmer, removed to Madison County, Ala., in an early day,
where he operated a large plantation and spent the remainder of his life, his
death occurring in 1849; his widow survived until 1855. The paternal
grandfather of our subject, who was also named Thomas Clark, was a soldier of
the Revolution, and died in Alabama, at the advanced age of one hundred and
twelve years. His wife lived to be one hundred and eight years old. Col. J.
W. Clark was reared and educated in his native county. He learned the
blacksmith's trade, and [p.849] his first experience at farming for himself
was in his native State. In 1857 he went to Gibson County, Tenn., where he
was employed as an overseer until November, 1860, when he removed to Jackson
County, Ark., locating near the present site of Swifton, on what is now known
as the Harris place, where he remained one year. In 1861 he enlisted in
Company B, Thirty-first Arkansas Mounted Riflemen, spending the early part of
that winter in Central Arkansas, recruiting soldiers; the following March he
went to Memphis. He was made major of the First Regiment, promoted to
lieutenant-colonel, and subsequently became colonel of the Thirty-second
Arkansas Infantry. He took part in the battles of Richmond, Murfreesboro,
Perryville, Mansfield, Dickens' Ferry, Pilot Knob; was with Gen. Price on his
raid through Missouri; thence south in Arkansas, to Fayetteville; thence to
Jacksonport, where, June 5, 1865, he
surrendered the Forty-fifth Arkansas Infantry. At the close of the war Col.
Clark returned to Jackson County. December 25, 1864, he was married in
Calhoun County, to Mary S. A. Moore, daughter of Leroy and Mary (Culp) Moore,
of Alabama, who removed to Calhonn County at an early day. The father died
some years ago, but the mother now resides in Jackson County. Mrs. Clark died
in 1879, and January 1, 1882, Mr. Clark married the widow of Dr. A. J. Jones,
whose maiden name was Lavina Elizabeth Heard, a daughter of Bailey and
Margaret (Milner) Heard, natives of Kentucky and Virginia, respectively. Mr.
Heard still resides on the homestead in White County, upon which he settled
in 1851, owning considerable land in that county. His wife died in 1874.
After his marriage, Col. Clark bought a timber tract of 200 acres, upon which
he erected a house and cleared and improved some of the land. He now owns 120
acres, of which about ninety acres are under cultivation. He devotes
considerable attention to stock raising, especially cattle. He also raises
cotton largely. He is an active Democrat, has been magistrate and notary
public, and brought before the county court the petition to form Glass
Township, which he named. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity, and
he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
page 850
Uriah Cole, farmer and stock raiser, and the oldest living settler in Bird
Township, was born in Middle Tennessee, Humphroys County, in 1825, and was
the fifth in a family of ten born to James and Martha (York) Cole, natives of
North Carolina and Tennessee, respectively. The father, when a boy, emigrated
to Tenuessee, thence to Kentueky. when it had very few settlers, living sixty
miles from a mill, and then back to Tennessee, and, in 1847, to Jackson
County, Ark., locating in what is now Bird Township, on the place where our
subject now resides, and having to out a road from Jacksonport to their
claim, where plenty of game abounded. The father died in 1855, at the age of
eighty-four years, his excellent wife following in 1864. The subject of this
sketch was reared to frontier farm life, receiving his education in the
district schools of Tennessee and the subseription schools of Arkansas. He
and his brother, Jack. son, remained at home, elearing the farm, and in 1849
Uriab married Martha Wann, a native of Alabama, and settled on the
farm on which he now resides, which contains 240 acres, 190 under
cultivation, thirty-five of which are yearly planted to cotton. Mr. Cole also
raises considerable stock. In 1861 he enlisted in Capt. Bateman's company,
Dobbins' regiment of cavalry, and participated in the battles of Helena.
Little Rock, Marks' Mills, Jenkins' Ferry. At the close of the war, in 1865,
he was paroled at Jacksonport, when he returned to the farm. Though a
Democrat, Mr. Cole is not an office-seeker, and not very active in politics.
Mrs. Cole died in 1879, leaving six children: William Jason, married,
residing in Bird Town. ship; Amanda, now Mrs. Gibson, of Bird Township; Mary
Elizabeth, now Mrs. Grooms, of Bird Township; Uriah A., single; Henry,
single; and Harriet, now Mrs. Brightwell-the last two being twins. In 1882
Mr. Cole married Martha Deaton, a native of Alabama. Mr. Cole has seen the
full growth of Jackson County-has camped out and killed bears where the town
of Tuckerman is now situated. During the war Mr. Cole lost everything, and
what he now has has been made since [p.850] that time by economy and
industry, and by taking an interest in everything for the good of the
county.
William Wesley Collier, a merchant of Tupelo, Jackson County, is a native of
Limestone County, Ala., and is a son of Mark M. and Elizabeth (Harris)
Collier, born, respectively, in North and South Carolina, and of English and
Scotch descent. The father died in 1840, and the mother in 1864. William
Wesley was born April 12, 1826, and obtained his education in the private
schools of his county, and the H. H. Brown school, which at that time had a
wide reputation, being conducted by a Methodist preacher, who was employed by
the community. At the age of twenty years Mr. Collier was employed by
Dewooddy, Turentine & Higgins, at Athens, Ala.; at the expiration of one year
he went to Aberdeen, Miss., where he served three years at the carpenters'
trade, with J. W. Ellis. February 3, 1849, he emigrated to California, with
the Mississippi Rangers, a joint stock company, which dissolved after three
months. Our subject arrived at Los Angeles, July 6, 1849, where until
January, 1850, he engaged in the carpenter and joiners' trade. He then went
to San
Francisco, worked for weeks as journeyman, and then in partnership with R. T.
Woody, engaged in mining; three months later Mr. Woody died, and Mr. Collier
bought a stock of general merchandise, which he established at Agufrior Gold
Mines, Mariposa County, Cal. He also built a hotel at the latter place, which
he sold in 1851, carrying on his mercantile business there three years; he
then took into partnership George Turner, of New York, and William T. Osburn,
of Georgia. Early in 1853, Mr. Collier went to Stockton to buy goods and
supplies for the store, remaining until fall, when he was notified by his
partners to return and close out business, as they were not making anything;
returning, he found that they had lost money gambling, and squandered the
entire resources of the firm. After closing out the business, he went to San
Francisco, in October, 1853, where he purchased a ticket for his home in
Alabama, arriving there the following December. In 1854 he located on his
mother's farm near Athens, where he lived the following three years. In
January, 1856, he married Martha Walls, also a native of Alabama. Of the
eleven children born to them, six are now living, viz.: Albert, a farmer by
occupation, now residing in Breckinridge Township; he married Laura Stanley;
William T., married a Miss Higgs of Mississippi, and has two children; he is
also a farmer of Breckinridge Township; J. M., who is engaged in business
with his father, and farming; John M. is living with his father; Catharine,
of Arkansas nativity, married Mr. W. C. Patrick, a native of Mississippi, and
has one child; and Allen C., who is now a student at Searcy College, Ala. The
children have all been liberally educated in the English branches. At the
time of his marriage, Mr. Collier owned about 370 acres of land, some 100
acres of which were under cultivation. He is a Democrat in polities, as are
also his sons and son-in-law.
page 851
Lee H. Conditt, planter and stock raiser, of Bird Township, was born in Ohio
County, Ky., in 1848, the fifth in a family of six, born to Jeduthan Lindley
and Mary (Duke) Conditt, of Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively. The father
was a cabinet workman and wagon-maker, and came to Jackson County in 1855, in
Jefferson Township, then in 1856 came to Bird Township, where he bought a
partly improved farm of 275 acres. He was very active in religious and
educational interests, being the principal man in organizing the school
district. His death occurred in 1863; he was a Methodist. His widow survived
until 1878. There are living of the family William Henry (of Baxter County),
Lorenzo M., and Lee, the subject of this sketch, who was educated in the
district schools of Bird Township, Jackson County. He aided in clearing the
home farm, and at the age of twenty commenced farming for himself. After his
marriage, in 1883, he settled where he now resides, owning a good farm of 275
acres, with ninety acres under cultivation, having cleared forty acres
himself; he also owns the original homestead. He raises corn, and on an
average thirty-five acres of cotton a year, and good average cattle; he has
now a high grade stallion, Morgan and Bashaw, a well-known trotter and good
roadster, six years of age, said to be the [p.851] best in the county. Our
subject's wife was Josephine A. Snider, daughter of Dr. Jacob and Mary
(Davis) Snider, of Tennessee, who came to Dunklin County, Mo., where they now
reside; they have two children: Annie Beatrice and Phamous Arlee. Mr. Conditt
takes a great interest in school matters, being secretary of the school board
for District 16, which includes also the Tuckerman District, three white
schools and one colored. He is now serving his second term. He is a Democrat,
and liberal in all public matters.
William H. Craige, dealer in groceries, drugs, and plantation supplies, also
postmaster, Kenyon, Ark. Among the important industrial enterprises which
contribute to the commercial standing of the thriving town of Kenyon is the
establishment of Mr. Craige, who is acknowledged to be one of the prominent
business men of the place. He was born at Chapel Hill, N. C., on the 30th of
November, 1840, and his father, Rev. John M. Craige, was a Methodist
minister, and a member of the East North Carolina Conference. The eider
Craige's health failing during his ministerial duties, he was obliged to
abandon this calling, and betake himself to agricultural pursuits, which he
continued until his death, in 1864. His excellent wife, formerly Miss
Elizabeth Barbee, a native of North Carolina, survived him until 1869. Both
were of Scotch-Irish descent. They became the parents of three children:
James, married, and resides at Chapel Hill, N. C., on the old homestead. He
enlisted in the Twenty-eighth North Carolina Infantry, in 1861, and served
during the war.
Wesley enlisted in the Eleventh North Carolina Infantry in 1862, and remained
in service until the time of his death, but contracted sickness at
Petersburg, Va., went home and died there in 1864; and William H. The latter
at the age of fourteen was put under the tutelage of F. M. Hubbard, D. D., of
the University of North Carolina, and there remained for two years, receiving
the preparatory course. Then, at the age of sixteen, he entered the
University of North Carolina, and remained in college until 1859, when he was
obliged to leave on account of ill health. In 1862 he enlisted in the
Confederate navy at Charleston, S. C., but was transferred to heavy artillery
at Wilmington, N. C., where he remained until February, 1864. He was then put
in charge of engineering corps, and remained in that capacity until the close
of the war. After this he settled at Chapel Hill, N. C., where he followed
agricultural pursuits for one year and then, at the solicitation of Gov.
Swain, entered college, finishing his and graduating with the class of 1868.
After this he followed teaching for some time, and then came to Lawrence
County, Ark., where he still continued that avocation at Powhatan for two
years. In 1878 his alma mater conferred on him the degree of A. M. Since that
time he has been engaged in merchandising and farming. He moved to Kenyon,
Jackson County, in the spring of 1872, embarking in mercantile pursuits, but
has also been engaged in farming since 1879. He owns a good farm of 1,000
acres, with 500 acres under cultivation, has nearly 300 acres in cotton and
200 acres in corn. He raises considerable cattle, and has one of the best
stock farms in the county. He has not been very active in politics, but votes
with the Democratic party. He has held the office of postmaster since 1879,
and in all his relations with the public, as well as in all other respects,
he is strictly honorable and upright. He was married in Jackson County, in
August, 1871, to Miss Lavinia Holford, a native of Tennessee, and the
daughter of William and Martha A. Holford, natives of Tennessee. Her parents
came to Jackson County in 1859, settling on a farm, and there both passed
their last days. Their family consisted of the following children: Mrs. C. W.
Winfree, Mrs. B. F. Manning and Rev. B. F. Holford, a Baptist minister,
residing in Lawrence County, Ark., and Mrs. Lavinia (Holford) Craige. To the
union of Mr. and Mrs. Craige were born these children: Hubbard, Augustus G,
and Barbee. Mr. Craige is a member of the Episcopal, and Mrs. Craige of the
Baptist Church.
page 852
C. G. Crow, farmer and proprietor of gristmill and cotton-gin at McCreary
Station, Bird Township, was born in Jackson County, in 1844, the second in a
family of three children of Atrides and Mary (Waters) Crow, the father of
Kentucky, the mother of Cape Girardeau County, Mo. The [p.852] father was
married in Missouri, and in 1840 came to Craighead County. He was practicing
physician and surgeon, and in 1842 came to Jacksonport, Jackson County; after
residing in various places, he returned to Jackson County, where he was
county clerk; his death occurred in 1857. His wife died in 1851. The subject
of this sketch was educated at the seminary in Hartford, Ky. In 1861, in
Scott County, Mo., he enlisted for six months' State service, and on the
expiration of this time, he re-enlisted in Capt. William Cotter's company,
Gen. Forrest's brigade, Neeley's regiment, and was mustered into service in
Tennessee. He was in the battles of Fort Pillow, Harrisburg, Parker's Cross
Roads, and the Oklahoma raid. He was paroled in Mississippi, in 1865, and
returned to Jackson County, and in 1867 married Mary V. Parrott, a native of
Tennessee, daughter of William H. and Martha (Darden) Parrott, of North
Carolina and Tennessee nativity, who came to Jackson County in 1861. Her
father died in 1879, and her mother some years before. After his marriage our
subject settled where he now resides, buying a timber tract of forty acres,
which he cleared and added to, until he now owns 600 acres, nearly 300 under
cultivation, the products being cotton and corn; he also raises some stock.
Mr. Crow is a Democrat, active in politics, and has always taken an active
interest in the schools, being now a member of the school board. He is a
member of Jacksonport Lodge No. 191, A. F. & A. M., and of Jacksonport
Chapter No. 40. Mr. Crow always takes an active interest in everything for
the good of the county, and has seen great changes in the course of its
development. His family consists of four children now living: Ada, Maoima;
Charles and Daisy leveland. William Atrides died in 1868, at the age of two
years; Maud Ida, in 1874, at the age of four years.